Learning Information with 1st Grade

Ask any 1st grader if they know what a blog is and you are most likely going to get blank stares. Ask them if they have ever heard of the word blog and they will most likely shout at you, “DOG WITH A BLOG” I learned this last year when introducing them to the idea of a blog and showed them this humble library website. I wanted to make sure they understood that we are not only giving them a one stop shop for their book catalog, databases and reference sites but a place to keep up to date with library happening. As we expand our online presence and strive to provide a space for all our students to access information I have to be creative with the younger students.

That is why introducing them to a blog is so important. Blog is easier to understand than database, reference, research. Blog is even easier to understand thanks to Stan  that wonderful doggie with a blog-ie.

They are able to explain that Stan writes about his day and his family. They understand that he is sharing his thoughts and feelings with the internet. We talk about how when I blog on The Falcon’s Fables I am sharing about the library. I write about classes, books, interesting events, and research. The very last thought I leave the 1st graders with is that anyone can blog. Because of this you don’t have to know what you are talking about. Someone blogging could be making everything up. I love leaving them with that thought so when we next meet I can start to slowly introduce information to them. I can begin to show them that information comes from all different places, including blogs. But not all blogs are good sources of information. When searching the internet everyone must carefully consider what they are reading. 1st graders learn that the library resources are a great place to start. Next week they will learn how to search for informational text. They will use Destiny Quest to look for non-fiction books. The following weeks they will use Quest to search websites. Soon after that they will write some blog posts of their own, explaining what worked for them in their quest for information and what didn’t. Stay tuned!